Julien Wallace

NSERC Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am a third-year student at McMaster University studying Commerce and Computer Science, with a strong interest in data analytics, finance, and the ways technology can be used to solve real-world problems. Outside the classroom, I enjoy getting involved across campus, whether it’s serving as an executive for my business school’s Data Analytics Club, organizing initiatives to promote data literacy, or participating in hackathons, consulting competitions, and industry networking events. I enjoy learning from professionals across a wide range of fields and exploring how different industries leverage technology to drive innovation and create meaningful impact. This summer, I am working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant under Dr. Salari, where I am investigating the factors associated with urban fire risk across the city of Chicago. My research combines statistical analysis, spatial data analysis, and GIS to examine relationships between fire incidence, socioeconomic vulnerability, crime, historical demographic characteristics, and historical redlining. As part of this work, I have developed normalized fire-risk metrics, performed correlation and regression analyses, and produced spatial visualizations to identify persistent geographic hotspots and neighborhood-level patterns. Through this research, I hope to contribute to a better understanding of how data-driven approaches can support more equitable community planning and fire prevention strategies.